Recalling Memories: The Return of Moriko
by Koru the Wolf Demon
Summary: InuYasha and friends have a runin with an old family friend, a half wolfdemon named Moriko, and a lot of old memories are brought up for InuYasha. But can they save her from Mukai's poison?...


Recalling Memories: The Return of Moriko the Half-Wolf

"Damnit!" InuYasha skidded to a stop, holding Tetsusaiga angrily. The crack down the center had been increased by the use of adamant barrage, and it looked as though the blade were going to split in half. Kagome fired an arrow, but even that coupled with Sango's boomerang and all of InuYasha's attacks wasn't strong enough to take down the giant red dragon. It roared, slamming its claws into the dirt in front of them, holding Miroku in its hand. "Kagome! Fire an arrow at its wrist!" He called, picking up the Tetsusaiga again. "And don't miss!"

"I won't! Gimme a break!" She shot the arrow, and it dove straight into the dragon's wrist. He yelled in pain, but didn't release the grip on the struggling Miroku.

"Foolish humans!" It bellowed, rearing up. "Do not try to stop me! I am Ryuraku, dragon of the abyss, and you shall not annoy me any longer!" He dropped Miroku, who at that point had stopped moving, and leapt onto the ridge above them, the already wild gray-black mane falling over its neck, shoulders and back growing into a spiked, angry mess, its length increasing, muscles growing stronger. He held his claws tightly, digging them into the stone, melting it until he was up to his elbows in rock. The rock grew around him, twisting and transforming into red-brown armor. He laughed, hideous, cruel grin menacing, and glared down at them. "Now! Heed my words, weaklings! Disturb me again and I shall devour you as I have done to the village!" He turned away, slinking north. "I shall take leave. Swim across the ocean and return to my home on the continent. But dare you summon my wrath, you will all die!" And the giant animal was gone, leaving a trail of death and destruction. Sango helped Miroku to his feet, looking around.

"Miroku, are you alright? … Where's Shippo?" Kagome looked around curiously. The little fox popped out from behind a rock, trembling with fear.

"I'm okay. That giant continent dragon was scary! I wonder what happened to make him so angry he would come over here?" Shippo replied, jumping onto Kirara's back.

"InuYasha?" Kagome looked over at him. He was on his knees, looking at Tetsusaiga angrily.

"Damn….that dragon from hell broke my Tetsusaiga…" he was trying to make it look like he wasn't nearly killed and had his arm snapped. Kagome ran over to help him, dropping her bow and quiver on the spot.

"Oh, InuYasha, you're really hurt," she sighed, pulling up his sleeve. The dragon's fangs had snagged his arm perfectly, and it was broken in several places.

"I'm fine..." immediate protest, as usual. "Check the village. Is there anyone else left alive?" Miroku and Sango had already gone in. InuYasha stood, walking over, Kagome buzzing around him like a fly to make sure his arm didn't fall off or something.

"Sango!" Miroku called her over, looking at a pile of wreckage. A small voice from inside was growing frantic. "Can you take away some of the wreckage?" She pulled the boomerang off her shoulder, throwing it accurately. The mountain of debris was capped, and the person climbed out, cut up and bloody. She collapsed on the ground in front of them, panting, and looked up, her expression frightened. She looked over and saw InuYasha, and that resulted almost immediately in her jumping up and running. Miroku stopped her kindly, a concerned expression on his face making her stop.

"T-t-the half demon… get him away! He will kill us all!" She hid behind him from the baffled Inu, trembling with fear.

"What is she talking about?" InuYasha growled, still annoyed by the cracked Tetsusaiga. She whimpered, looking over Miroku's shoulder.

"The half demon…he will hurt me. And I have no husband to protect me! You…will protect me, monk?" Pwik Miroku glanced over his shoulder.

"Yes, of course. But InuYasha won't hurt you." Sango was already annoyed just by his expression when he said that. The woman looked up at InuYasha.

"But he will. I have known enough half demons to make me distrust. They are half demon, and have evil in them. But they are half human, and have good in them, but greed and arrogance also. And the conflicting emotions are always their downfall. I have seen it happen many a time. They go crazy. I used to live with a large family. Their mother was a demon, and their father was a human. All of them were half demons, and all of them were torn apart by conflicting emotions. It will happen to you as well. It happened to our leader." That got everyone's attention.

"Your leader?" Kagome was curious.

"Y-yes. We used to be a good village, lead by the only caring half demon we have ever known. Moriko. She was half wolf demon…she was very young, only fourteen or fifteen, but lead us strongly. One day she found a long, powerful sword deep in the forest. It had a glowing orb on the end, and had a giant dragon spirit. Much like the Sounga of the great dog demon, I thought. But she said it was merely a spirit sword. Then she went crazy, killing everyone. She chased many a demon to the ocean and drowned them, but one day she never came back." She was still clinging to Miroku, holding his left arm tightly.

"Are you sure she went crazy? It might've been the sword-" Sango didn't get to finish. InuYasha had suddenly grown very solemn.

"It was the sword that drove her crazy. It was Ryoga. A sword created by the soul of a powerful dragon. No human could ever hold it without dying. And her human side was possessed by it. The sword either gave way and released her or killed her." Everyone was curious now.

"How do you know that, InuYasha?" Shippo asked from Kagome's shoulder.

"Because it's what happened to someone I knew a long time ago. Just forget it. Come on, I have to find Totosai." He turned away, holding Tetsusaiga in front of him. Everyone followed, all curious but not willing to ask questions. The young woman still hung onto Miroku, walking close to him, and it was obviously bugging the crap out of Sango. But everyone turned as a figure leapt out onto the path behind them. A black wolf, about five feet at the shoulder, and he was growling, ready to attack them.

"You. Village woman." He snapped, taking a step closer. "You are wanted by the Leader." She gasped.

"But the Leader is gone!" She cried, still holding onto Miroku, who was really enjoying it.

"No, she is not. Let me explain. I am Daiki, servant to the Leader. She is on the mountain, and wants to speak with you." InuYasha walked up to the wolf angrily.

"Okay, wolf, she'll go. But we're coming too." The wolf growled, flattening his ears.

"Back off, dog. The Leader wants nothing to do with you petty puppies." InuYasha tightened his claws. "That will not work, half pup. I am stronger than you, and I am a mere wolf. Not even demon. And my name is Daiki." InuYasha growled, pushing past him, sniffing the air to get the scent of Moriko.

"Trust me…'Daiki'… she'll want to talk to me." He led the others up into the trees, climbing the steep slope dead-setly. Daiki shoved him in the shoulder as he moved up to the front, trotting far ahead of them effortlessly.

"You humans are all so slow. And dogs are even slower than that. The fastest one of you is the two-tail." Kirara growled at him, offering Sango and Miroku a ride. Daiki stopped at the top of the rocky slope where it turned into a grassy straight, barking a call to something back there. A tall, thin figure appeared above them. It was Moriko, the half wolf demon. She wore a sleeveless, short-ended gray-blue kimono, with lining of wolf fur around the bottom, collar and sleeves, and wore wolf fur leggings and sleeves. She had streaks of silver in her hair, which was brown, and her hair fell shaggy over her face, with a set of wolf ears on her head in the manner of InuYasha. She stared down at them with a beautiful, freckled face and deep blue eyes. InuYasha gaped, stopping in mid-step.

"So. These people wanted to come with, huh, Daiki? A monk, a demon slayer, a young girl, a tiny fox, a two-tail, and-" she paused, moving her hand from her hips to over her mouth. "InuYasha!" She ran down to him, looking him over carefully, pulling his ears, looking at his kimono sleeves, staring him in the face. "InuYasha. I would know the robe of the fire rat anywhere. And is this the Tetsusaiga?" She yanked it out of his sheath, looking down the blade. "You idiot. You've cracked it. And I can see it's been repaired before. Tsk tsk." She ran her claw down the crack, and the blade morphed back together, leaving no trace of the crack. She whipped it up into the air, and it transformed, getting an applaud from her. "Well, other than that it's in good shape. But there's a new element of power to it. Smells like…adamant. And not just any adamant…it smells like Hosenki. What have you done?" InuYasha gaped, making a grab for the sword, but she jerked it out of his reach. "What'd you do to Hosenki?"

"I didn't do anything! He did that to the sword on his own!" He snapped, reaching for the sword again. "Give me my Tetsusaiga!"

"Nope. I want to see what this adamant can do. Hey, Daiki!" She whistled, and he howled, in return an Oni coming out of the mountain. It roared angrily, pulling up a few trees and throwing them. She held the Tetsusaiga ready, and it barred up with adamant, ready to kill. Moriko, who was just using the Tetsusaiga like it was nothing, held it ready, slamming it down, throwing the adamant barrage at the giant demon, destroying it.

"Wow, InuYasha! That adamant barrage was the most powerful I've ever seen!" Shippo received a jealous sock in the head from InuYasha for that. Moriko smiled, handing the Tetsusaiga back to him.

"Cool. That's even better than backlash wave. Here. So, what do you want, Inu?" She crossed her arms.

"I want to know how you got mixed up with Ryoga." She straightened a little.

"Well, that was a long time ago, and I got rid of the damn thing. What do you really want?"

"I really want to know why you left me and Keleso in the middle of the forest as kids!" He snapped, a wave of rage going over him. She growled, clenching her own fists, and they got up in each other's faces almost immediately.

"And why should I have to explain myself to you? You know that all of us half demons have terrible lives. And just because I got stuck with the idea of keeping you little brats doesn't mean that I was going to. It never did, and it doesn't still! I left because we're half demons. No one in this world will ever care for us, InuYasha! All the arrogant, greedy humans the evil, bastard demons in the world will reject us. I was doing you guys a favor. If you'd have died, you wouldn't have to deal with it!"

"Deal with it? You think it's better to be dead than to be a half demon?"  
"When your human father and demon mother are ashamed of you, and no one will accept you, and everyone hates you and insults you every day of your life, yes, its better to be dead!" She barked, turning away. "You had a better life than I did. At least your parents loved you. Your mother was a beautiful, kind woman, not some mean demon. And your father was the greatest man to ever have lived, not some rogue samurai. When your parents died you were left with a legacy, the Tetsusaiga and the robe of the fire rat. My parents left me as a child in the middle of the woods, too ashamed by me to keep me. I had nothing, and I still don't. The world rejected us, InuYasha." He paused, growling, looking as if he were ready to explode.

"Moriko…" and thus, Inu popped. "You're wrong! There are a lot of caring people out there. We may have a damned life, but that doesn't mean you should turn into one of them!" She turned back to him sharply.

"There is no one that will ever accept me, InuYasha! You're the son of the great dog demon and a beautiful princess. You are famous and hold the Tetsusaiga. I'm a mere half-wolf. The only one that ever liked me was Daiki. I lead a village into war, but they all resented my very soul. And there is no one in this world that cares for me. Everyone hates me, so why should I be nice?"

"I care for you, Moriko!" He exploded again. She paused. "You've been one of the only people to care for me after my mother died. You're my friend." Her mean expression faded into a surprised, sad one.

"You-you're not angry with me?"

"No." He lowered his gaze, relaxing his angry pose. "I don't want to see you like this, Moriko." She smiled, sitting down on the rock.

"You know, you are like your parents, InuYasha. Your parents were both kind souls. And I'm betting Sesshomaru has given you a lot of trouble. He says he's ashamed of you, but he just can't stand the thought that you became the better of you four." Daiki nudged her shoulder, leaning on her as she stroked his fur kindly. "But I'm never going to fit in with anyone. It's just a fact that half demons are disliked by everyone."

"But we're not disliked by everyone," he retorted gently, trying really hard to be nice. "So maybe most people are going to be cruel to half demons. But there are a lot of people out there who'll accept you, Moriko." She sighed, looking back up at him.

"…like who?"

"Like me," Kagome smiled, stepping up. "All of us." Everyone nodded, giving her a flicker of hope.

"And me," Daiki added, licking her cheek. She laughed.

"Well, I already knew you were my friend, Daiki." She hugged him. "But thanks anyway." She looked up at InuYasha, standing. "And thank you, InuYasha. You give me a little hope. And I'm sorry." She hugged him lightly, turning back towards the forest. "I'm not sure where you guys were going, but if you're hungry, you can come eat with me."

InuYasha sat in front of the fir beside Moriko, quietly watching the flame crackle. Kagome was asleep beside him, resting beside Kirara and Shippo, and on the other side of the fire was Miroku and Sango.

"InuYasha…" Moriko talked gently. "Do you remember this?" She gave him a small wooden toy. It was a dog, painted white, with rings of fur around its mane, feet, and its tail was made of fur. It's eyes were tiny rubies. He held it cautiously, examining it contentedly.

"Yeah…this is the toy you gave me." He thought back to that day.

_The water in the lake rolled gently, giving a mist off. InuYasha stood on the beach, looking at the water. Keleso stood beside him, and they were both quiet. Keleso kept her feet in the tide, already taking a liking to water. Moriko walked up behind them, putting her arms around them._

_"InuYasha…Keleso…I'm so sorry. We have to go. They want us to leave." InuYasha looked back at her._

_"But…mother is still here. We have to stay with her." He noticed the tears in her eyes._

_"InuYasha…" she hugged him, holding him close sadly. "Your mother isn't here any more. She's…passed on." He paused, unable to believe it. Keleso turned back, running over to her. She put her arm around Keleso as well. "I'm so sorry, you guys." She pulled out two white wooden and fur dog toys. One of them had ruby eyes, the other sapphire. "But she told me to give these to you." They took them and held them close.  
_

He held it close, just as he had so many years ago. "…it still smells like my mother." She nodded, sighing.

"You must've dropped it somewhere. I found it in the forest." InuYasha also remembered dropping the toy while he was running from some of Sesshomaru's Oni. "But its yours. Since you're here, you take it." He nodded, looking back up at her, noticing a smoothened, gray-brown stone hanging around her neck.

"Hey…that's the stone we made for you. I found it, Keleso polished it, and mother put the chain on it. We gave that to you to thank you for helping take care of us…" She nodded, putting a hand to it.

"I still wear it. I may not have a family, but I do have memories, at least."

"But you do have a family." She glanced up curiously. "We are your family. Keleso and me." She smiled, looking back at the fire.

"InuYasha…you've been so kind to me. I'm pretty surprised, actually. You've softened up, haven't you? I'd be willing to bet that Kagome is the one who's done it. Cracked your mean shell. You care very much for her, don't you?" He blushed a little, twitching his ears. She laughed lightly. "Heh heh. You still do that. I don't blame you. She's a kind girl." He paused for a minute, then spoke.

"…hey…whatever happened to Karu?" She grew silent, looking into the fire.

"I don't know. When I left, he disappeared. I tried to find him fro a long time, but no luck. I'm pretty sure he's dead." InuYasha remembered the kind man that'd cared for her. She must've loved him too, judging by her expression. "…but don't get your hopes up. He'd be pushing a hundred now, wouldn't he?"

"At least," InuYasha sighed, looking up at the moon. It was barely a sliver. Tomorrow was the new moon.

"Well…you should get going. I'll pack some food for you guys." She stood, going into the woods, but stopped suddenly, taking a few steps back, gasping. InuYasha jumped up, ready to defend.

"What? What is it?" She didn't have to answer. A giant dragon-like demon rose up, hissing angrily, waking everyone else. Its head was a skull, as well as its tail and feet being bones, and it had a mane, body, and arms of fur, but there were rips in it, exposing bones and ribs. InuYasha immediately turned around, seeing the others ready for battle.

"It's a Rykotsu!" She backed up, tightening her claws. "I haven't seen one of these things in a long time. Eh, Inu?" He smiled meanly, tightening his own claws. "This should be fun then. Let's see what you can do!" She slashed forward, her claws sending an attack much like his Iron Reaver Soul Stealer at the thing. He slashed forward with it, and the claw attacks merged together, creating a giant wave at the animal. It fell apart, but recame together.

"Damn! I forgot these things are ghosts!" He turned back to Kagome. "Fire an arrow, Kagome!" She looked around dumbly.

"I-I don't remember where I put my arrows!"

"What?"

"Sorry!" Sango tossed the boomerang, cutting its head off.

"Miroku!" Moriko called him, keeping hold of its legs, her arms holding it strongly. "Before it finds its head! Suck it in!"

"Right! WIND TUNNEL!" She released the demon, and Miroku unleashed his wind tunnel, sending the beast away. He closed it smoothly, concerned. "What was that demon?"

"I've seen them before," Sango said, setting down her boomerang. "They're the ghosts of dragons. Those demons are pretty rare, though." She looked at InuYasha. He was watching something else.

"InuYasha?" Kagome followed his gaze. There was another animal in the woods below. It was climbing up the slope, crawling like a reptile, pace like a spider's. Daiki growled, running to the ridge and leaping, landing hard on the animal. It hissed, and the two black beasts scrapped, Daiki grabbing it and dragging it up. The beast reared up on its hind legs, hissing angrily, and slammed down on Daiki, who yelped in pain, leaping back up the ridge. The creature crawled past them in the shadows, purple, oozing blood dripping from its body and landing in puddles on the rock. It vanished into the dark.

"What was that thing?" Shippo was worried, and Kirara seemed disturbed by it.

"That was a shadow demon. There are tons of them. It was probably attracted by your wind tunnel, Miroku." Moriko continued, touching the blood and tasting it on her finger. "They're pretty much harmless…and their blood tastes like soy sauce." She smiled, looking at InuYasha. She could see a chill run up his spine. "Yeah, those things don't mix very well with dogs. Sorry, Inu. I should've warned you." She laughed, looking up. The sun peaked over the mountains, and a lot more hissing arose. More shadow demons ran through the shadows, running into cracks in the rock, spaces under tree roots, and holes in the ground.

"They hate the light," Miroku talked, studying them, his left hand behind Sango. She growled, knocking him hard in the cheek, and he went rolling down the slope, landing on the grassy edge with an _oof_. Moriko laughed, looking down on him from the top of the slope.

"Ha ha, Miroku, you're gonna have to learn!" She called, glancing up. "Oh crap! MIROKU! GET OUTTA THERE!" She jumped down, grabbing his hand and dragging him back up the cliff. "Run!" She started up the mountain. "Go up the mountain! Hurry!" InuYasha went with her, still curious as everyone else, carrying Kagome, while Miroku, Sango, and Shippo rode Kirara. Daiki hurried behind them, limping form his wound.

"Moriko! What's wrong?" Kagome yelled as they ran.

"It's Mukai! Hurry up and run!" She yelled back. Daiki yelped, tripping, and collapsed on the ridge, rolling down a few yards. "DAIKI!" She turned back immediately, picking up the wolf and starting back up. InuYasha looked back irritatedly.

"Moriko! Come on!" She shook her head.

"No! I won't leave Daiki!" She grabbed a tree, taking a great leap, and caught up to them. Daiki laid still in her arms. She set him down, looking over at InuYasha. Everyone stopped at the peak with her. "InuYasha! Come on! The only thing that can stop him I Tetsusaiga!" She grabbed his wrist, leaping down with him, and stopped with a yell on the ridge. A giant black serpent stared down at them with yellow eyes, gleaming white fangs dripping with purple poison. He hissed, striking at them.

"You! You are the half dog that possesses InuTaisho's fang! Give it to me!" He grabbed at Tetsusaiga, but missed because of Moriko slashing him. He yelled angrily, snapping at her. "You are the half-wolf! You scrawny, worthless little half breed!" InuYasha could feel how badly that term hurt her feelings. She paused for a second, then slashed him again, catching him across the eye. "YAGH! Wench!"

"Hey, Mukai!" The snake looked back at InuYasha. "You're going down!" He brought up Tetsusaiga, but the snake brought his tail around fast enough to knock InuYasha down the slope. He caught himself down by the snake's body, catching Tetsusaiga as it came tumbling down with an array of rock. Moriko yelled in pain, and he knew that she'd been caught. He climbed up the ridge again and saw her lying on the ground, panting, her arm bloody. "InuYasha! Use the Backlash Wave--!" She jumped up, pulling the dagger at her side and holding it ready.

"That little dagger won't do anything! Just stand back!" He yelled, holding Tetsusaiga ready. She laughed, swinging the dagger into the air. It transformed into a giant, flaming whip, and she cracked it, sending a wave of energy at the snake. It reared back, coiling up, and hissed angrily.

"You sow! I'll kill you--" He didn't finish, because the whip cut into his flesh like poison, and the head fell, hitting the slope.

"InuYasha! Get the body!" The snake's body lurched at him, but Backlash wave sent it back, and destroyed it. Moriko smiled, returning the dagger, which was now a dagger again, and looked at her arm in concern. InuYasha returned Tetsusaiga to its sheath, hurrying over.

"Moriko…your arm-"

"It's…poisoned…" she winced in pain, holding her upper arm tightly. "Rrrrr. Mukai's poison is painful…but it can't be cured."

"It might be able to be purified, though," Kagome said, coming with the others down the hill. "But I don't have any arrows." Shippo transformed into a bow, floating beside her.

"You have a bow, though," he added, while Miroku and Sango looked around.

"I think I left my arrows down at the village," she added, watching InuYasha. He seemed really worried.

"Then I'll go," he said starting down.

"I'll go with you," Daiki said, running down next to him.

"I don't need your help, wolf," InuYasha growled, running. Daiki was persistent, running alongside him.

"Yes, I think you do," he said, smiling. He could hear Kagome say 'Here, Moriko, sit down," and the Beads of Subjugation glowed, yanking InuYasha down. "Heh. Told you. You're gonna need my help to get around this mountain." InuYasha spit out a mouthful of rock.

"Fine." He leapt, going down the base of the mountain in a hurry. Daiki galloped alongside him, fur rippling in the wind.

"InuYasha! I have the scent of the arrows!"

"I don't smell anything!"

"You're only half a dog, and dogs don't even have as good of scent as wolves! You probably won't ever smell them! Just follow me!"

"No way, wolf!" He jumped ahead, but Daiki turned sharply down the left side of the mountain, and InuYasha turned as well, silently giving in. He jumped, hitting the ground smoothly, and picked up the quiver. The arrows were in there, but so was something else. He pulled out a rat, dropping it, and went back up the mountain, carrying the quiver tightly. Daiki ran close by him.

"InuYasha! You're too slow! Get on!" he jumped, and they went about twice as fast. "I can't believe how slow you are!"

"Oh shut up!"

"We have to hurry! That poison works fast!" He stopped suddenly, and InuYasha fell backwards off his back, sliding down a few feet and sitting up.

"What? What's wrong?" The wolf growled, staring ahead angrily. A dusty brown wolf crossed the path, but paused at the sight of him and barked. "It's just another wolf! Come on, Daiki!" But he didn't go. He attacked the wolf, snapping its neck, and let InuYasha back on.

"That wasn't just a wolf! It was a messenger of death!"

"WHAT?"

"We've got to hurry!" They sprinted up to the ridge, seeing that the worst had happened. Moriko laid silently on the ground, everyone else around her, nearly dead. InuYasha handed Kagome the arrows, his expression terrified.

"Kagome! Hurry!" She nodded, shooting a purifying arrow at Moriko's arm. The pulsing poison that was killing her seemed to be erased, and she opened her eyes, looking up. Daiki licked her face, his tail wagging with relief. "Moriko…" she smiled, sitting up warily.

"InuYasha..." she looked up at the sky, seeing the new moon. When she looked back down at him, he was human. "Oh, never mind." She smiled, hugging him. "Your parents are very proud of you."

Fin


End file.
